Netherlands (v.2: oranje windmill)
Willem Nikolaas Van Peeters is the human personification of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. A blunt, practical man with a weakness for cute things, Willem attends Liberty University as an international law student while working shifts as a bartender at the Winchester pub. Background Before Liberty: *Willem was born on January 30, 1987, in Amsterdam. He is the first child and only son of the CEOs of a major company based there. He grew up with their expectation that he would one day take over the company, and as such his life was spent being groomed for the position. He traveled with them around the world on many of their business trips and earned top grades, although he always made time for football (he played goalie). He graduated secondary school first in his class, completing the VWO tract (the most rigorous of the Dutch secondary tracts) at 18. He then enrolled in the University of Amsterdam, where he spent three years earning a degree in economic law. During this time he began dating a young man who was studying international law, and Willem became interested in the subject. Even though they broke up after only a few months, Willem’s interest continued. One night during this time his parents asked him if he would take the college aged son of one of their American business partners out and show him Amsterdam’s nightlife. The son wanted to see the famous De Wallen, and so Willem and his friends decided to take him there for a bit. At one point the son went outside a pub to make a phone call, noticed Søren Nielsen leaning up against a local building, and mistook him for a prostitute. Willem became involved to sort things out, and ever since then he and Søren have been best friends. He graduated at 21, then for a year interned at his parent’s company. However, it was apparent to him that this was not what he wanted to do with his life. Still having an interest in international law, he decided to pursue a degree in it. His parents offered to pay because they assumed it was in business, and were not happy to find out otherwise after he’d already completed a year. After a few loud, angry fights they decided they might like the idea, mostly because they envision a Van Peters on one of the International courts. However, they made one stipulation. They would continue to pay for his education and for an apartment if he would move to Liberty and attempt to get his sisters to come back to the family fold and follow instructions. He agreed, although his real aim was to convince his sisters and his parents to eventually find some middle ground they could all agree on. In Liberty: Willem arrived in Liberty on a flight that was many hours late and to find none of his furniture had arrived. He posted on his blog about his adventures in finding it, which led to Søren discovering they were in the same town and showing up at Willem’s door to surprise him. Around this time Wilm was walking near the LU campus when he came upon a kitten treed by an angry dog. He got the dog under control and back to its owner, then climbed the tree after the kitten. Her owner, Erin Kirkland-O'Connor, showed up. Wilm got distracted by her, slipped, and fell. The kitten fell out after him, but Wilm caught it. Erin was impressed by his heroics, and after learning he had never had a pet before the two exchanged numbers to rectify this at a later time. Not too long afterwards they together picked out a bunny for Willem, which he named Nijntje after the books he read as a child. This also served as their first date. On the Friday before Halloween Søren fought with Sindre Myhre, and afterwards took refuge on Willem’s couch while he tried to sort himself out. He refused to tell any of the details to Willem, leaving the Dutchman to worry. On Monday Erin came over to cheer the both of them up, and Willem walked her to the bus stop. That night they became an official couple and shared their first kiss. While he was gone Søren left, and the two did not see each other again before Søren left for Denmark. Shortly thereafter Erin returned to Ireland to look after her mother, and the two ended their relationship. Recently, Willem and Sindre ran into each other in the LU library, where they traded stories about the events of Halloween weekend. Willem also advised Sindre on what to do about his displeasure over Kai Søndergård’s crush on Sindre’s younger brother Valdi Jónsson. Around the same time he applied to fill the bartending job that Søren left open when he left. After a successful trial run he was hired, and went to work at the Winchester under Erin’s brother Conner Kirkland-O'Connor (who was unaware of the relationship). During this time he has also been growing closer to his sisters. Keke bakes for him and the two hang out. His relationship with Ali has also taken baby steps forward, with the two of them actually starting holding conversations without the need to snipe at each other. Personality Here Relationships Family: Heike Adelaide Van Peeters (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg)-Affectionately known as Keke, she is Willem’s youngest sister. The two have always shared a close relationship, spending many hours tending to Willem’s tulips or just talking. Willem tries to be her protector, and she adores her big brother. Alicia Van Peeters (Belgium)-His relationship with his other sister is a bit more complicated. Their conflicting personalities and his tendency to be overbearing in his role as big brother have strained their relationship. He is not aware of just how controlling their parents were over her, and is under the belief that leaving was her choice. Their relationship is further strained as he has bought into the mask she wears, and has not yet realized there’s something deeper then the happy-go-lucky party girl. However, he admires her ability to make friends easily and thinks highly of her for the most part. Their relationship has taken baby steps forward since he has come to Liberty, and he hopes that eventually they can be as close as he and Keke are. Friends: Søren Nielsen(Denmark) -The two met about four years before Willem moved to Liberty, while Søren was living in Amsterdam for a short time. Willem may roll his eyes at Søren’s antics, but the Dane is one of the few people Willem feels he can spill his guts to and probably the only person outside of his sisters who could get away with hanging all over him. Willem knows about Søren’s feelings for Sindre, but while he may tease the Dane he hasn’t said anything to Sindre out of respect for his friend’s wishes. Sindre Myhre (Norway)-Willem first met Sindre one night at the Winchester, but the two really didn’t get to know each other until they ran into each other a while later in the LU library. They share a similar snarky, quiet temperament and both care a great deal about Søren, which gives them something to bond over. Lili Zwingli (Liechtenstein)-The two first met during the HP event, when both were members of the Hufflepuff quidditch team. Willem protected Lili from some Slytherins who were bullying her, and tried to encourage her in his role as quidditch captain. They met again in real life when Erin suggested that Lili's knowledge of electronics could help Willem buy a laptop, and although he didn’t remember the dreams he still felt a fondness for her because he found her cute and she reminded him of his youngest sister. Honda Kiku-When Willem was a young boy his family went on a trip to Nagasaki, Japan. He got separated from them, and asked a passing police man for help. However, since Willem only spoke Dutch and English and the officer only Japanese, they were at an impasse until a Kiku passed by and stepped in to help translate. The officer handed the boy over to him while he started the search for Willem’s parents, and the two have kept in touch ever since. Recently, Willem was the one to come looking when Kiku refused to leave his apartment, and was successful in getting him to step out onto the balcony. Enemies: *Enemy #1 *Enemy #2 *Enemy #3 Love Interests: Erin Kirkland-O'Connor -The two met when Willem rescued her cat Ash from a tree. She helped him pick out his bunny Nijntje, and the outing ended up being a first date for the two. They dated casually for about two months, watching football games and bringing their pets together for playtime. She referred to him as Tall Person, due to the fact that he was much taller than she was. Right after Halloween they became official, a night which also saw their first kiss. However, shortly thereafter Erin was kidnapped back to Ireland to take care of her mother, and as she planned to stay the two decided to end their relationship. Fun Facts Willem’s nickname is Wilm, but very few people are allowed to call him that. Currently, those people include Keke, Søren, and Lili (and Ali, although she doesn't realize that yet). The tips of his ears turn pink whenever he gets embarrassed. Willem is an artist, a talent he keeps secret because in the past people have been uncomfortable with the bizarre twists his sketches can sometimes take (for example, stairs lined with sunflowers that lead off into nothingness). Category:Van Peeters Family Category:Western Europe Category:Currently Played Category:Canon Character Category:Character